tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964719845369935777.post6813176687338626214..comments2024-03-27T21:23:40.339-04:00Comments on Chemjobber: The Institution speaks for itself and investigates itselfChemjobberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15932113680515602275noreply@blogger.comBlogger36125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964719845369935777.post-66869215856395134142016-04-27T17:49:25.659-04:002016-04-27T17:49:25.659-04:00Due to the tragic consequences of the incident at ...Due to the tragic consequences of the incident at U of H-Manoa, and current investigation, we would all do well to resist speculation as to the root cause. Our intentions would be best served thinking about the welfare of the injured researcher, Ms. Ekins-Coward. Upon completion of the investigation by CLS, we can then argue for or against the findings, the investigating body and so on. The lessons learned should be quite clear at that point. My thoughts and prayers lie only with Ms Ekins-Coward. May she find the strength and desire to move forward from this horrific injury. Amen.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964719845369935777.post-81388275317800543062016-04-19T11:31:58.123-04:002016-04-19T11:31:58.123-04:00"Ekins-Coward said the tank’s assembly was de..."Ekins-Coward said the tank’s assembly was designed by laboratory professor Jian Yu, Ph.D. In his statement, however, he said:<br /><br />The tank that failed was Ms. Ekins-Coward’s design. She bought the equipment (tank, digital gauge, pressure relieve valve, and fittings) between November 2015 and January 2016."<br /><br />Am I the only one tempted to buy a plane ticket just so I can punch this guy in the face?<br />Philnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964719845369935777.post-48648452919463073612016-04-19T06:22:02.864-04:002016-04-19T06:22:02.864-04:00News updates. Chilling to read about the earlier s...News updates. Chilling to read about the earlier small explosion, foreshadowing the bigger one....<br /> <br />http://khon2.com/2016/04/18/hfd-releases-investigation-report-on-uh-manoa-lab-explosion/Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964719845369935777.post-65395219948566172362016-04-14T15:41:23.857-04:002016-04-14T15:41:23.857-04:00I agree that the lack of details makes it not very...I agree that the lack of details makes it not very helpful. <br /><br />I would hope that a "lessons learned" report from an incident that resulted in a fatality would be far more thorough. <br /><br />Chemjobberhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15932113680515602275noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964719845369935777.post-46360237333451445642016-04-14T13:07:39.699-04:002016-04-14T13:07:39.699-04:00CJ - Here is a "lesson learned" from an ...CJ - Here is a "lesson learned" from an explosion at Texas Tech a month ago: http://www.depts.ttu.edu/vpr/integrity/lessons-learned/march-2016.php. What do you and others think about this report? Personally, I find that the lack of details renders it pretty much useless.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964719845369935777.post-45485982865103359172016-04-14T12:26:42.049-04:002016-04-14T12:26:42.049-04:00OK, I think that what I am failing to understand h...OK, I think that what I am failing to understand here is the perception of Cal/OSHA amongst UC representatives. <br /><br />It is my impression that Cal/OSHA's enforcement arms were not particularly active (I mean, I don't think the first citation was all that?), and that Brian Baudendistel's very condemnatory* report was basically an outlier. Of course, their attitude may have changed over the intervening 7 years, and up to this point, they have probably not had the leverage that they had before, i.e. they've never had an active Settlement Agreement to use as a pressure point. <br /><br />But I'm a guy who doesn't read media reports about Cal/OSHA very often, or understand how much of a regulatory/enforcement role they're playing in the UC Settlement Agreement. <br /><br />So sincerely, thanks for explaining that, Anon. <br /><br />*The English language is failing me today. Chemjobberhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15932113680515602275noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964719845369935777.post-84795999664321427472016-04-14T12:18:27.146-04:002016-04-14T12:18:27.146-04:00Although the particular charges relating to Sangji...Although the particular charges relating to Sangji's death will be off the table if the settlement agreements are completed successfully, Cal/OSHA won't cease to exist. UC representatives will still have to work with the agency.Jyllianhttp://cen.acs.orgnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964719845369935777.post-59416616233977434522016-04-14T12:05:02.159-04:002016-04-14T12:05:02.159-04:00This (that Cal/OSHA is making people nerous) is an...This (that Cal/OSHA is making people nerous) is an interesting point that, to my knowledge, hasn't been made elsewhere. Thank you, Anon. Chemjobberhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15932113680515602275noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964719845369935777.post-23198292007377731572016-04-14T11:56:38.299-04:002016-04-14T11:56:38.299-04:00I was not referring to--nor defending--Patrick Har...I was not referring to--nor defending--Patrick Harran or any other individual. I was referring to people who really <i>do</i> care about the safety of our colleagues and our students.<br /><br />My point was simply this: there are a lot of legal landmines that influence and limit what people who care about safety in the UC system are able to accomplish--at least for the time being. And this is especially true so long as everyone on <i>every single one of the 10 campuses</i> feels threatened by Cal/OSHA, even in cases when we are clearly trying to improve the safety culture around us.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964719845369935777.post-8583809888477355012016-04-13T21:46:32.329-04:002016-04-13T21:46:32.329-04:00I'm not holding my breath either.I'm not holding my breath either.Harry Elstonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16091371872387480309noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964719845369935777.post-19503157909841821002016-04-13T18:30:39.453-04:002016-04-13T18:30:39.453-04:00I should note one more thing: I'm actually not...I should note one more thing: I'm actually not criticizing the whole UC system. I have a problem with CLS. - CJChemjobberhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15932113680515602275noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964719845369935777.post-49803151219073879842016-04-13T17:54:55.496-04:002016-04-13T17:54:55.496-04:00Hello, Anon5:24:
Thank you for your informed com...Hello, Anon5:24: <br /><br />Thank you for your informed comment. Perhaps you are correct, and James Gibson and Patrick Harran sat down and wrote up a "Lessons Learned from the Sangji Death" report that wasn't "There are some graphs and charts that show that we're compliant now!", and that report is sadly trapped on a shelf somewhere. I hope that's true, and the second (sometime in 2019? I forget) when the Settlement Agreement is complete, that report will be on its way to the Journal of Chemical Health and Safety. <br /><br />I'm not holding my breath. <br /><br />Cheers, CJ<br />Chemjobberhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15932113680515602275noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964719845369935777.post-40857684371865492052016-04-13T17:24:05.622-04:002016-04-13T17:24:05.622-04:00CJ, when you criticize the UC system for not "...CJ, when you criticize the UC system for not "publishing the lessons they should learn from the Sheri Sangji incident," it is worth keeping in mind that the <i>entire</i> UC system is still subject to the requirements of the settlement between UCOP and the Los Angeles DA. That settlement is an <i>ongoing</i> thing, and if for any reason the courts think any part of UC is in violation of the settlement, UC could still be liable. Anything that any single department (or any UC safety professional, or UCOP) publishes can potentially have very serious legal ramifications in terms of what constitutes official safety policies. And rumor has it that Cal/OSHA has been known to take things that individual departments intended to be frank discussions of acceptable practices vs best practices, and instead treat them as across-the-board <i>required</i> practices, and thus citable and fineable when the "best" practices weren't followed. This has the unfortunate effect of making people feel as if it is unsafe to speak when (ironically) they only want to have open discussions about safety within the UC system. (Thanks, Cal/OSHA!)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964719845369935777.post-1634495849855982782016-04-13T16:51:00.921-04:002016-04-13T16:51:00.921-04:00Having likewise worked for 6 yrs at a lab in the U...Having likewise worked for 6 yrs at a lab in the UC system, I can confidently say that Eka-silicon is exaggerating. It depends quite strongly on the safety culture of the campus, department, and individual lab.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964719845369935777.post-71918204688143541572016-04-12T14:09:31.419-04:002016-04-12T14:09:31.419-04:00Whether grad students are employees or students va...Whether grad students are employees or students varies depending on what's convenient for the university at the moment.KTnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964719845369935777.post-15544778441508152362016-04-12T14:07:14.097-04:002016-04-12T14:07:14.097-04:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.KTnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964719845369935777.post-14078820883525640252016-04-12T12:25:12.935-04:002016-04-12T12:25:12.935-04:00I didn't realize you were the only one with su...I didn't realize you were the only one with such experience. Thank you for the correction.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964719845369935777.post-38573938290657054392016-04-12T12:23:34.364-04:002016-04-12T12:23:34.364-04:00Maybe it'll work out better than I think, and ...Maybe it'll work out better than I think, and I'm being too cynical and angry at UCLA and Manoa. I don't know. I will read the thesis when I can.Hapnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964719845369935777.post-85361628074608049322016-04-12T12:02:01.706-04:002016-04-12T12:02:01.706-04:00I name the investigators at the Safety Zone: UC Ce...I name the investigators at the Safety Zone: <a href="http://cenblog.org/the-safety-zone/2016/04/uc-center-for-laboratory-safety-is-investigating-u-hawaii-explosion/" rel="nofollow">UC Center for Laboratory Safety is investigating U Hawaii explosion</a>Jyllianhttp://cen.acs.orgnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964719845369935777.post-71430641193394903572016-04-11T20:45:31.436-04:002016-04-11T20:45:31.436-04:00I had a similar demonstration in high school actua...I had a similar demonstration in high school actually. The chemistry teacher filled up a balloon with one part oxygen and two parts hydrogen and then exploded it over a front row desk. It was pretty loud and two of the students' books got wet. uncle samnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964719845369935777.post-13899583246407202022016-04-11T17:36:29.404-04:002016-04-11T17:36:29.404-04:00Looks like it's TRIR (total reportable inciden...Looks like it's TRIR (total reportable incident rate) in the US, reported to OSHA but not consistently. I'm still learning the ropes about OSHA guidelines as a recent ex-pat. You're right that the conveniently vague employment status of students/postdocs is a barrier to incident reporting, and one I forgot about. I guess I had a brief moment of optimism and hoped that universities would want to track outcomes and provide a safer environment for their communities...ha! Back to cynicism for me!Chemistringnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964719845369935777.post-48838301025333636212016-04-11T16:55:07.976-04:002016-04-11T16:55:07.976-04:00I had a microbiology professor who was using a sim...I had a microbiology professor who was using a similar mixture in the lab. The lab had absolutely no protective systems at all! I told him that I thought it was an unsafe practice and that I wouldn't work anywhere near it. (I was a chem/micro double major at the time)<br /><br />He filled a big trash bag with it (it must have been a 55 gallon bag) out in front of the building and put a match to to it.<br /><br />The University Police across the street must have thought that the Students for Democratic Society had blown up the ROTC building. :-)<br /><br />He woke up in the ambulance on the way to the county hospital. Thankfully, he just lost some hair and eyebrows.<br /><br />:-)Oldnukehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04791120442174416990noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964719845369935777.post-86896451579301163892016-04-11T16:28:15.592-04:002016-04-11T16:28:15.592-04:00I think the U. S. Chemical Safety Board should bec...I think the U. S. Chemical Safety Board should become involved.qvxbnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964719845369935777.post-77199456602900633892016-04-11T15:07:43.983-04:002016-04-11T15:07:43.983-04:00Report TRIF numbers to whom?
OSHA reporting depen...Report TRIF numbers to whom?<br /><br />OSHA reporting depends on the school. My understanding is that private schools are subject to OSHA reporting rules for employees. For state schools, government employees may be covered *if* there is a state plan in place to do so (yes in California and Hawaii, no in Florida and Texas). Undergrads are never considered to be employees. Whether graduate students and postdocs are considered to be employees depends on unclear criteria and may vary by state. Jyllianhttp://cen.acs.orgnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964719845369935777.post-63680280903248179052016-04-11T13:41:54.150-04:002016-04-11T13:41:54.150-04:00From a comment in the last link, a procedure they ...From a comment in the last link, a procedure they may have used in that lab:<br /><br />"The jars were flushed with a gas (H2:O2:CO2 = 7:2:1), sealed and incubated at 30 °C. The gas was prepared from cylinders of H2, O2 and CO2 through a gas proportioner (T3215-56, Cole-Parmer, Vernon Hills, IL)<br /><br />If this was used, I guess some kind of spark would have been enough to ignite the mixture. Its eye-opening to think that a wanton spark from friction could have caused thisAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com